New sustainable Rinkkaai finally approved
The city of Ghent has approved the permit for Rinkkaai, a sustainable residential district on Koningin Fabiolalaan, between Gent-Sint-Pieters Station and the Blaarmeersen. Rinkkaai, a project by the developers Alides and CORES Development, includes six buildings with 308 nearly zero-energy (NZE) apartments, hospitality facilities, neighbourhood support facilities and a public park zone. Thanks to the executable permit, work can start after the summer. The first residents can move in at the end of 2027.
Rinkkaai answers the dire need for affordable housing in Ghent. In collaboration with the city development company sogent, a significant emphasis is being placed on budget-friendly housing. The district comprises a mix of classic apartments, duplex houses and wheelchair accessible apartments in order to offer a home to a wide range of family structures. Furthermore, a space will be provided in the residential district for a hospitality venue, neighbourhood shops and neighbourhood support facilities such as for example a crèche or a medical practice. Furthermore, there will be a community centre.
With almost 1,000 bike parking spaces in easily accessible bicycle storage facilities, the developers strongly encourage bike use. They will also install electric charging stations and consider different bike sizes.
‘The permit approval is a milestone in the development of Rinkkaai. After seven years of hard work, we are extremely pleased that we can realise this unique project. Rinkkaai stands for sustainable and accessible housing for all generations. It will become a reference architecture, with specific attention to affordable housing and will therefore contribute to solving the housing shortage in Ghent.’ – Rikkert Leeman, CEO at Alides.
No fossil fuel consumption
Besides affordability, Rinkkaai stands out in terms of sustainability. The district will be completely gas free and heated with renewable energy via its own heat grid, for which geothermal heat pumps will be connected to a Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) system. During the summer, the heat pumps will be able to cool the buildings in the same passive way. The apartments themselves will be extremely well insulated and will have solar panels, among others, for the remaining energy consumption. Furthermore, rainwater and wastewater will be reused and gradually discharged to reduce waste consumption, encourage infiltration and combat the heat island effect.
‘Rinkkaai will become the greenest neighbourhood in the Ghent station area and is an example of sustainable city development.’ – Jurgen Van Bogaert, Managing Partner at CORES Development
Green oasis and focus on meeting
Future residents will find themselves in a green oasis. The southern edge of the site will be a continuous, elevated biodiverse park with flower meadows and grassy areas that will connect to the envisaged Rijsenbergpark on Koningin Fabiolalaan. The green zone will be open to both residents as well as the neighbourhood and will be the ideal meeting place for young and old.
‘Now that the Rinkkaai project can get started, we are picking up the thread of preparing the cyclist bridge over the Lys, between Koningin Fabiolalaan and the Blaarmeersen. The aim is that the bridge can be commissioned at the same time as the Rinkkaai buildings.’ – Sami Souguir, chair of sogent.
Completion in 2027
The public sales will start this spring. If everything proceeds according to plan, work will start just after the summer. The first residents should be able to move in in 2027.
The Rinkkaai won the architecture competition organised by sogent in 2015. For this project, they are collaborating with architects EVR, KCAP, OMAR and Omgeving landscape architecture.
More info on the following website: www.rinkkaai.be
Press contact:
Kathleen Smout
Development Manager Vlaanderen Alides
k.smout@alides.be l +32 497 02 26 87
Jürgen Eeckhout
PR Consultant Bereal
jurgen.eeckhout@bepublicgroup.be l +32 478 48 52 40
About Alides
Alides is a reputable international investor and developer specialising in office and residential real estate, with a strong presence in prime urban locations in Belgium and Poland. Its mission as ‘your partner in real estate’ stems from the family roots of the Ghent Maes Group (founded in 1892) and translates into an all-round approach with consideration for quality, sustainability and innovation. Alides’s real estate portfolio is worth more than 650 million euro and the development pipeline represents a future turnover of more than 900 million euro.
About Cores Development
Jurgen Van Bogaert and Peter Leyssens founded CORES Development in 2006. CORES Development develops inner-city real estate projects based on clear concepts. They are concepts aimed at the market’s needs and offering added value to the surrounding area. CORES Development’s projects can be found throughout Flanders and Brussels. Some examples are Reepkaai (Kortrijk), De Weverij (Sint-Niklaas), Cadiz (Antwerp), Groen Zuid (Antwerp), ’t Swaenenerf (Heist-op-den-Berg) and West (Hasselt). CORES Development is responsible for the sales and promotion of all projects as well as having its own rental service. The CORES team consists of driven professionals who, as a team, are adept at all aspects of the development and realisation of real estate.
About sogent
Sogent is responsible for city development and real estate management in Ghent. The city development company builds on a renewed and innovative city every day, with one goal in mind: creating a pleasant space where everyone can live, meet and work. As part of the Ghent Group, sogent executes city policy in terms of city development and real estate management for the City of Ghent.
